Keeping up with the Australian government; Hawaii prepares for Hurricane Lane.

Zany Lane heads for Hawaii

NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory

The effects of Hurricane Lane, a Category 4 storm, officially hit Hawaii’s Big Island early Thursday morning. Lane, which was just 200 miles south of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, brought down more than 19.5 inches of rain as of 5 pm ET. Forecasters predict that this figure will reach up to 30 inches by the end of the storm. [CNN / Meg Wagner, Brian Ries, and Veronica Rocha]

Hurricanes that impact Hawaii are incredibly rare. If Lane’s center does hit any of the islands, it will be the first hurricane to do so since the 1950s, when scientists began tracking weather patterns in the region. [Scientific American / Andrea Thompson]

It’s impossible to say whether the storm was a direct result of climate change — but the infrequency of hurricanes that impact the Hawaiian island and the sheer amount of rain could be a hint of proof. [Vox / Brian Resnick]

Chaos “spills” over in the Australian government

Chaos is running amok in the Australian government. The far-right members of the country’s ruling Liberal Party are contesting current Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s authority to rule as he loses popularity within the Australian Parliament. [CNN / Jamie Tarabay]

More than a dozen ministers have tendered their resignations. They are concerned that Turnbull is losing the support of the party and that the Liberals are leaning too far to the left and ostracizing their conservative base. [ABC AU]

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who was one of only two ministers whom Turnbull allowed to resign, is openly out for the prime minister’s office. On Thursday, he announced he would again challenge Turnbull’s rule following a Tuesday vote, called a “spill,” that left Turnbull victorious. [News AU / Gavin Fernando, Stephanie Bedo, and Emma Reynolds]

And the people overwhelmingly prefer Turnbull over Dutton, according to a new poll. This is likely because Dutton is known for being far to the right, including stances against immigration and same-sex marriage. [Buzzfeed]

But Turnbull has pledged to resign if Dutton comes through with a letter from 43 members of Parliament calling for him to step down because he of “the public hate what is going on at the moment.” [NYT / Damien Cave and Charlotte Graham-McLay]

The Australian government has essentially been in disarray for the past decade. No prime minister has successfully completed a full three-year term. [BBC]

Miscellaneous

A new poll finds that 64 percent of Republicans think that a “good president” can say the n-word. Surprise, surprise: 33 percent of those same white respondents openly admitted to using the slur themselves. [Vice / Eve Peyser]

Singers Carly Simon and Mick Jagger sat round a piano in 1972 to create a song named “Fragile.” After disappearing into the abyss, the song has resurfaced 45 years later. [AP / Chris Lehourites]